Never-say-die attitude pays off for Dynamo

Houston turned what looked like a huge negative into a positive on Saturday night with its 2-2 draw against FC Dallas.

The Dynamo went down to 10 men when rookie Kofi Sarkodie picked up
his second yellow card in the 73rd minute, just three minutes after FC
Dallas took the lead. Looking destined to suffer a second straight loss,
the Dynamo showed much-needed resolve and pushed for a late
equalizer.

Houston’s effort in the last 17 minutes paid off with an 87th-minute
goal from Colin Clark to save a point against their in-state rivals.

“It’s tough to go down a man and be down 2-1, but it’s great that we
showed the fight and energy at home to get the tying goal and end up
with a point,” said Clark, who entered as a sub in the 66th minute.

Clark’s goal came off a stretch of play where Houston could have
packed it in. With Dallas looking to kill the game and make the Dynamo
chase, the home team pushed through and kept pressuring while looking
for a chance it ultimately converted. Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear credited the attitude of his
team for its ability to push through the late adversity and come out
with a well-earned point.

“The way the game was played, if we would’ve walked out with
nothing, it would have been the worst thing about it,” Kinnear said. “To
keep going the way we did and to get that equalizer is [a] good thing,
and the attitude to me is something [positive] I can point to on the
field. The players' heads could’ve gone down, but the guys clenched
their teeth a little bit and fought through it.”

There was certainly a sense of joy at pulling out the late draw, but
the Dynamo understand that a win was there to be had. While the result
is not one the Dynamo were hoping for at home, the circumstances of the
draw make the result one the team will certainly take.

“I think it shows the desire and attitude of the team,” said captain
Brad Davis, who notched his seventh and eighth assists of the year.
“We’re not getting wins right now the way we want to, but the desire to
stay in a game and not give up is fantastic. Even going down to 10 men, the
guys kept going, and that says a lot about the character of this team.”

Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on twitter at @Dynamoexaminer.